Wet suits for cold weather- what type?

[nickw]

You have nothing to worry about if you get a 6mm suit.
My experience:
Washington State, 6mm scuba suit with hood, 20 minutes, 11 degree water=frozen ass
Carribean, 2 mm shortie with hood, 45 minutes, 27 degree water=frozen ass
Back to Washington, 6 mm elios open cell, 2 hours, 10 degree=toasty warm never gotten cold(except when putting the suit on)

Elios is easy on the wallet, great quality and I gurantee will keep you warm. I have never gotten those shooting cold water flows through my suit...yes it fits that good. Just make sure to measure a few times so you get it right. Good luck

nick

 

[fleedermouse]

So I'm confused. My xcel polar tridensity is an apnea suit? I swear it has been referred to as one on other apnea suit threads on deeperblue. It's one piece with the zipper across the front and attached hood. It has that weird techno coating on the inside that makes it easy to slip into.

...and it is WARM. I hung out in 4 degree water for about 20 minutes and was downright hot. This was after purposefully letting water in to trap it but it can act as a semi-dry as well and let very little water in.

 

[tylerz]

Nothing to be confused about, just generally having a zipper is not good practice in designing an apnea suit. It allows water enterance, aids heat loss, is bulkier and less flexible, less hydro dynamic, etc... I think I saw the thickness of your suit in a previous post, which is why it is still fine for cold waters. Remember that others of us, are in the same conditions but in 5mm over our complete body. The same suit design as complete 5mm would most likely be significantly less warm or comfortable when compared to non-zippered suits.

 

[laminar]

Or...as the Ottawa freedivers did on the day of the beginner clinic I attended...use a big cooler full of hot water to dunk your entire suit into before putting it on. Sweet...

Not sure that really works in the long run. I remember thinking about the thermos of hot water to warm up the suits in cold weather idea a few years ago. So Eric Fattah and I went big. We filled a large plastic container half full of near boiling water and soaked our suits in it. Ahhh, it looked so great! Steam rose from them as we bided our time before putting them on. Is was so easy to put them on, no more high voices from cold suit crotches and armpits. Once the suit was on, however, things fell apart. We began to lose heat really fast. By the time we got into the water I was already on the edge of shivering. I believe we have one of the shortest winter sessions ever!

That was the last time we used hot water except to rewarm toes and fingers after diving. An explanation for the opposite effect from what was intended could be explained by the idea that with warm water, too warm, the body goes into heat dissipation mode: pores open, blood flow increases near the surface, and core blood moves to the extremities. Not what you want to enjoy a long dive session.

After a couple of years of suffering through cold suits with cold lube in them, I've realized that although I seem to get cold putting on the suit, I don't freeze and my body begins to generate heat of its own. My fingers always used to get numb putting on my suit, now no longer. And best of all when I slide my arms and legs into the cold lube, I no longer catch my breath and curse. It is a sensation that is familiar and I no longer interpret as negative.

So what does all this highly personal info tell you? Maybe cold exposure makes you better at cold exposure. For me, I feel that's right.

And I won't be pouring hot water down my back anytime soon.

Someone ask Tyler about how he got his cold tolerance in the early days. He puts me to shame... :duh

Pete Scott
Vancouver, BC

 

[DeepThought]

Someone ask Tyler about how he got his cold tolerance in the early days. He puts me to shame... :duh

..........

 

[naiad]

I have now got a 5mm opencell/smoothskin suit. I will try it on soon and see what happens - I am one of the worst complainers when it comes to cold water, so if it works for me, it must be good!

Lucia

 

[flyboy748]

Just a follow up note to Pete's comment on the hot water... I've found exactly the same thing. On cold days if necessary I'll put my wetsuit on at home and wear a track suit over it on the way to the water, but I won't put hot water in my suit. Now I only find donning the suit at home necessary when the outside air temp is less than about -5C/23F. I have put my suit on however at temps down to -11C... but I'm going to try to avoid doing that again! I feel that the hot water in the suit however, is an enemy of lasting warmth in two ways it seems. Not only does it make the skin feel warm initially, reducing body heat production, but I believe water in your suit also reduces the insulating qualites of the suit. I won't pee in my suit in cold temps for this same reason. I remember last winter I was usually good for about 50-60 min in 0-2C water (32-36F). However being particularly well hydrated one day, I thought that the warm recycled water could only warm me up... but I was wrong. I only lasted about 25 min that day, and got out of the water much colder than normal!

Just my thougts...
Aaron

 

[fleedermouse]

It seems like some may not be thinking about your body's response to that hot water. The sudden change will cause your body to thermoregulate to stabilize temperature. You jump in the ice water and it has to do a 180. In the process, you end up expending more energy and destabilizing your systems-bad for the heart and other vital organ systems. The less drastic measures you can use before getting in the better.

 

[naiad]

I tried my suit in the pool today and it was great! It fits perfectly and I wasn't cold at all. I did my longest static in the pool so far - 4:04. I will try to do a lot more soon, because it is so much easier without the constant shivering.

Problem solved!

Lucia